Our View: Bear with us as we revisit our plea for camp

“Bring them here; Rockford logical choice for Bears’ summer home.” Maybe Tim Dimke remembered that Feb. 24, 2001, headline when he talked about enticing the Chicago Bears to move their training camp to Rockford from Bourbonnais.

Dimke, a noted dreamer, Bears fan and Rockford Park District executive director, is thinking ahead. The Bears are under contract to hold summer camp at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais through 2022.

But there’s nothing wrong with dreaming. Why not take a chance when the reward is so big and the risk is so small? Sure, it’s a long shot, but if you don’t ask, you don’t get.

That 2001 editorial was in response to the Bears’ announcement that they wanted to move their camp from Platteville, Wisconsin, to Illinois. It didn’t happen, of course, but perhaps the Rockford-Chicago connection would have worked out as well for the Bears as it has for the Blackhawks. The Blackhawks, after all, have won two Stanley Cup championships (2010, 2013) since their top minor league affiliate, the IceHogs, started playing here. Before that, the last time the Blackhawks hoisted the Cup was in 1961.

The Bears’ lone Super Bowl victory was in 1986. It might be time to consider shuffling things up a bit more.

Back in 2001, we argued that for the Bears, training in the Rockford area would provide:

— A facility closer to home for the players. “It’s tough being up here and being away from home,” receiver Bobby Engram said at last year’s camp. “But the guys, we make the most of it.”

Rockford is only 90 minutes from the Bears’ home complex in Lake Forest. Platteville is 3.5 hours from Lake Forest. (Bourbonnais is only an hour, so that one doesn’t apply.)

— Easy access for Bears fans throughout the state. It doesn’t take much for a suburbanite or a downstater to hop on I-90 or I-39 and come to Rockford.

— More merchandise sales. All those Bears fans will buy Bears paraphernalia.

— Something to do between practices. Players have long complained that the only thing they can do in Platteville is go to bars. Two words come to mind: golf courses. And that’s before you mention Magic Waters, shopping centers and more. (We’re not sure how management would react to players wakeboarding at Levings Lake.)

— An immeasurable amount of good will. They may even be able to convert some of those Cheeseheads who live here. (Talk about long shots!)

The same reasons we thought it would be a good move for Rockford 13 years ago apply today. The move would:

Page 2 of 2 - — Boost the local economy. Tourists have to eat, sleep and buy souvenirs.

— Improve the community’s image. Having the Rock River Valley play host to the Bears says nothing but good about the region.

— Be fun. You get a better appreciation for the sport when you get to see and meet the players close up. And during training camp, most players are agreeable about signing autographs and having their pictures taken with fans.

Then we asked the question: “Are Rockford’s facilities adequate? With the work Rockford College is doing to improve its campus and its fledgling football program, it’s worth taking a look at whether an arrangement can be made — especially if the Bears are willing to throw in some money. The college already has dormitory rooms, another requirement.”

The facilities question has a more positive answer today. The multimillion upgrades underway at Sportscore Two might be enough to attract the Bears’ attention. And we’re sure housing would not be a problem.

So, why not Rockford for the Bears? By 2022 we’ll be a transformed community.